


The One Where Joey Is Worried

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Dialogue, Community: comment_fic, Episode: s08e14 The One with the Secret Closet, F/M, Ficlet, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Joey POV, Pining, Pregnancy, Protectiveness, Worry, health scare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 03:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9529520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: Joey is pacing outside of Rachel's hospital room, and he's never been more scared in his life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the comment-fic prompt "Any, any, a deep sigh of relief": http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/785989.html?thread=101730373#t101730373
> 
> Joey went through quite the emotional rollercoaster when he took Rachel to the hospital, so I wanted to explore some of his feelings in this story.

Joey is pacing outside of Rachel's hospital room, and he's never been more scared in his life.

He thought he had been freaked out by remembering that movie with all of the creepy bugs, but then Rachel had been sitting on the couch, looking worried and with her hand placed protectively over her stomach. She said something felt "weird, and not good weird." Joey walked over, leaned down to reassure her, explaining how his sisters had sometimes had "weird feelings" during pregnancy and that she would probably be fine. Joey is telling the truth about all of those times, but it doesn't help him calm down at all. And those pained noises she made... Joey couldn't help fearing that something bad might happen to her or the baby. But he was a good actor, and he pretended to be calm. Rachel needed the support. When he couldn't hide the worry on his face, he falsely attributed it to the tight grip she had on his hand. Rachel might have been crushing bones, but it's not like Joey cares about that. Not when she's in danger.

This is even more terrifying than the  _Cujo_  incident. That was just about him, but this, this is about Rachel possibly being hurt. Joey is completely panicking right now, and he wouldn't be surprised if he passed out from the lack of breaths he's drawn since he left her with her doctor.

When the doctor and Rachel leave the room, the doctor explains that Rachel had something called Braxton-Hicks contractions. Joey asks a lot of questions, and it's only when the doctor confirms that everything is fine with her and the baby that Joey can breathe. He draws in a deep sigh of relief when Rachel moves forward to hug him and thanks him for being so calm.

He pulls away and starts blurting out everything he really felt. "Calm?! I wasn’t calm! I’ve never been more scared in my entire life!" Thinking about how he felt is making his anxiety come back again.

"But, wait, you said everything was gonna be okay." Joey only said that to make Rachel feel better.

"Well, what do I know, I'm not a doctor!" 

Rachel looks touched by how concerned he was, but why wouldn't he have been? It's Rachel, and she was in pain. Those two facts were enough to flip Joey's world upside down.

"But I— But everything is okay. I’m fine!"

Joey can't help but feel like this is backwards. He should be the one reassuring her after the ordeal she just went through, but instead she's comforting him. "You sure?!"

Rachel smiles and tells him she's fine. She expresses annoyance with the doctor again for calling the contractions "mild." They didn't look mild to him either. 

Ross, who must have gotten the page Joey sent, shows up, and he's freaked out until Joey mentions the Braxton-Hicks thing. He's probably dealt with this before with Carol. After Rachel awkwardly mentions that she needs to go back to the hospital room to retrieve her underwear, Ross expresses his remorse that he wasn't the one to bring Rachel to the hospital since he's the father. 

Joey feels that horrible guilt again like he did earlier when Ross found out that he missed on feeling the baby kick for the first time since it happened late at night. Ross doesn't live with Rachel, so Joey ends up being around for more of the baby stuff even though Ross wants to be involved.

That dream he had last night didn't exactly help. Joey would never consciously attempt to replace Ross, but his dream self apparently had no compunctions about doing so. The worst part was that Joey was enjoying that dream until the baby, who had Ross's face, accused him of being a terrible friend. He was with Rachel, and she loved him, and they were having a baby together. That felt wonderful, honestly. Joey had also loved putting his hand on Rachel's stomach and feeling her baby kick until he saw how sad Ross was that he had missed out on that moment.

The doctor returns and passes Joey a pamphlet with information about Braxton-Hicks contractions. He takes it absently and thanks the doctor.

"Oh and by the way, you did the right thing by bringing her in," the doctor tells Joey with a smile. "You’re gonna make a wonderful father."

Joey feels nearly nauseous from guilt. The words  _a wonderful father_  echo in his mind and make him feel dizzy. Did he do something inappropriate to give the doctor the impression that he was the baby's father? All he did was bring Rachel to the hospital and act worried until he knew she was okay. He doesn't think he would have acted any differently if this had happened a few weeks ago, before the date that changed everything.

He doesn't like what that says about him.

"Oh uh, hey. Not as good as this guy!" Joey puts on a false grin and shakes Ross gently by the shoulders. Ross is like a limp rag doll, so depressed that he can't even move thanks to what the doctor said. "He brought Twizzlers!" He gestures to the doctor with the candy in Ross's hand. The statement is dumb, but Joey's not that smart, and it's the only thing he can think to say right now.

Not that anything he could say would make this better. Joey lets go of Ross, who walks away, devastated by the doctor's thoughtless comment. As Rachel returns and everyone goes home, Joey can breathe right now, since Rachel is okay, but his gut is twisting with remorse and he don't know how he will eat today.

Joey just wishes things would return to normal, or at least that in the future he could do things like breathe and eat. If only he could stop feeling this way about Rachel, maybe he could.  _If only._  



End file.
